Goodbyes aren't forever

August 8th, 2010 - a day that many H!P fans all over the world will never forget. During an MC at one of the last shows of H!P's 2010 Summer Concert, producer Tsunku announced that three Morning Musume members, Kamei Eri, Junjun, and Linlin, will graduate at the conclusion of Morning Musume's upcoming fall tour.

But you already knew all of that; that's old news by now. It's been three full days since the news hit the net and it finally seems to be sinking in for most. Now that the dust has cleared, I'd like to look at the whole thing from an optimistic perspective. You won't hear any doom and gloom theories from me. Instead, I will explain why I think something like this will only help Morning Musume going forward.

First I'll start with Kamei Eri. She's been suffering from a skin condition that has to only have gotten worse with the wear and tear that being a live performer brings. Kamei stated that she wants to take a break from show business for a while in order to get herself healthy again, which is certainly understandable. For me, her graduation is the easiest to get over due to a clear, legitimate reason for needing time off. 

Junjun and Linlin's situations aren't so clear cut. Time and time again, official reasons for graduating have been a bit fishy with the evidence available to the public. In other cases, almost undeniable evidence surfaced with not even a peep from management confirming or denying the situation. With that said, I don't fault fans for feeling left with a lot to be desired on UFA's public statements in regards to Junjun and Linlin.

Here's my take on things. Junjun and Linlin joined Morning Musume three years ago, in mid 2007. They were brought in mainly to aid Tsunku's evil plan of invading the rest of Asia (namely China, obviously). Being the two least popular members of Hello! Project, and with no real surge in sales or popularity, it is safe to say the Pandas are a failed experiment. That, however, does not mean that Junjun and Linlin are useless. Actually, I would say it's quite the opposite.

Linlin has proved that she definitely has a great voice and Junjun is the textbook definition of a great personality. Honestly, I'd consider them to be two of Morning Musume's most talented members when you carefully consider exactly what they bring to the table. So then why get rid of them?

Being a sports fan (and having played a couple myself), I know exactly what being a team (or in this case, a group) truly means. In a sport like baseball, you see the trading of superstar players probably more than any other sport. Most often you will see this executed by a team behind in the standings that has no chance of making the playoffs for that particular year. They trade away their best player in exchange for multiple young talents with high potential in hopes of making their team better for many years to come. The mindset for doing something like that is that as good as this person may be, we're losing with him and we can just as easily lose without him, while taking a chance on a couple of low risk, high reward prospects.

Bringing this back to Hello! Project, I look at this as a way of starting fresh. New members will come in, experience growing pains, and see what being a part of a J-pop Idol group is really about. Hopefully bringing positive attention to Morning Musume (and Hello! Project as a whole) in the process.

It's always sad to see members leaving, especially when you've been in the group for as long as the three of them have (I was quite surprised to find out that the Pandas will have been in Morning Musume longer than some OG members such as Nakazawa Yuuko, by the time December rolls around). But, what a lot of fans don't seem to realize is that Hello! Project is not the be-all and end-all of the entertainment industry. Leaving H!P does not somehow make a girl damaged goods. Former members have a huge advantage over wannabe artists off the street and random indie bands: exposure.

Hello! Project members are able to show off various talents to the mainstream public, whether it's singing, dancing, modeling, or even acting. Their résumé is literally out in the open for any would be employer to see. There is even a huge precedent set with former Morning Musume and Hello! Project members making new names for themselves. Even someone like Kago Ai, whose name was tarnished by multiple scandals has made a comeback to the limelight.

As talented as Junjun and Linlin are, I don't think we've seen the last of them. With Jun's personality (as well as her previous experience), I can see her taking up a career in acting. Linlin on the other hand has a voice that should be heard by as many people as possible. She definitely has a soloist's voice. And if Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou? (dare you to say it three times fast) has taught us anything, Linlin (and Junjun for that matter) is even better singing in Chinese than Japanese. Totally makes sense considering it's their native language. I, for one, am happy for Morning Musume's first Chinese members. They overcame adversity and made themselves into respectable members of the group.

Now, the two of them gets to return home and spend some quality time with the people they have missed dearly from their three year stay in Japan. With any luck, they'll be able to continue work with an agency in China and be on their way to becoming the next big thing. Anyone whose ever complained that Junjun and/or Linlin doesn't get enough lines/attention in Morning Musume should be satisfied with this outcome. They obviously weren't going to get a significant amount of attention in Morning Musume. Now they are free to pursue whatever their hearts desire. If either of them does decide to continue singing, well, now you no longer have to worry about poor line distribution.

Kamei, Junjun, and Linlin may be withdrawing from the Idol business for the time being, but it certainly does not have to stay that way. Their future is now in their hands. After Kamei gets her health in order and Junjun and Linlin gets re-acclimated to their home turf, they will be free to walk down whatever path they so choose. The three of them may be saying goodbye for now, but I have a feeling that their goodbyes aren't forever.